Cheap and best (max 250$) HTPC

nmakes

Distinguished
May 18, 2013
267
0
18,810
For:
Watching movies
Browsing the internet
Playing MMO games and other casual games
-- All this on a 32 inch LED TV without lag.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A4-3300 2.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($39.59 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI A55M-P33 Micro ATX FM1 Motherboard ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Case: Apex DM-387 HTPC Case w/275W Power Supply ($40.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $241.53
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-23 08:17 EDT-0400)
 
Solution
That APU will be weak for MMOs, being perhaps the least of the first generation. MMOs can be very CPU-dependent, independent of resolution. It may work out for your other purposes, assuming your TV is 720p and not 1080p. For MMOs though, I think you probably need to double your budget.
It might be enough for this system, but I would not trust an Apex PSU-shaped object to run any PC with a graphics card in it, and if it is missing filters and other "optional" components, it may croak for no apparent reason all by itself.
That APU will be weak for MMOs, being perhaps the least of the first generation. MMOs can be very CPU-dependent, independent of resolution. It may work out for your other purposes, assuming your TV is 720p and not 1080p. For MMOs though, I think you probably need to double your budget.
It might be enough for this system, but I would not trust an Apex PSU-shaped object to run any PC with a graphics card in it, and if it is missing filters and other "optional" components, it may croak for no apparent reason all by itself.
 
Solution